Clarification on Winter Collection

[JoeR]

Evening bone-sigh nuts,


I would be very thankful if someone could clarify something for me. For many species, winter is a great time for collecting trees and for some it is even a necessity. One of the species I plan on collecting next year is one such species where winter collection is best. My question is: when I collect [and chop] them, say in January, what sort of winter protection would be required? They will be trunk chopped, collected, and potted in pure inorganic soil after washing all native soil off. It must happen before buds even begin to swell, and because I have quite a few planned collections I would like to space them out so I am not hurting myself trying to collect ten trees a day.



Thanks in advance for any help.

Joe

 

[Dav4]

Honestly, you will only need to keep the root ball moist and protect from freezing.

 

[JoeR]

Honestly, you will only need to keep the root ball moist and protect from freezing.

Thanks for the reply.

So its no big deal, just treat it the same as my other trees. It was more of whether I can collect them now or if I need to wait longer.

 

[Dav4]

Thanks for the reply.

So its no big deal, just treat it the same as my other trees. It was more of whether I can collect them now or if I need to wait longer.

Ideally, you wait until they're just breaking dormancy. If winter finally shows up, the roots of your collected trees might not start growing again...and repairing themselves...for several months.

 

[JoeR]

Ideally, you wait until they're just breaking dormancy. If winter finally shows up, the roots of your collected trees might not start growing again...and repairing themselves...for several months.

That is the general rule, yes-

-But this species is an exception. They must be collected during winter before it begins to break dormancy and buds swell. Or else risk of major dieback or even complete loss of the tree.

 

[Dav4]

That is the general rule, yes-

-But this species is an exception. They must be collected during winter before it begins to break dormancy and buds swell. Or else risk of major dieback or even complete loss of the tree.

well, with all the secrecy about the species in question, I guess you're the expert here, Joe. If you say you should collect it now, then go for it. I wouldn't let it freeze.

 

[aml1014]

May I ask the specific species?

 

[Eric Group]

so.... You want people to give you advice on winter protection for a species but you don't want to tell us the species?

That makes absolutely NO SENSE. Sorry... You might as well ask "what temperature do I set the oven for?" Without mentioning what it is you are cooking.
"What do I take to cure... That problem I have"
"Can anyone give me directions to that place"

Seriously man... What happened here?

 

[Dav4]

May I ask the specific species?

so.... You want people to give you advice on winter protection for a species but you don't want to tell us the species?

That makes absolutely NO SENSE. Sorry... You might as well ask "what temperature do I set the oven for?" Without mentioning what it is you are cooking.
"What do I take to cure... That problem I have"
"Can anyone give me directions to that place"

Seriously man... What happened here?

It's a secret...

 

[thumblessprimate1]

Ahhh! I wanna know!

 

[sorce]

Canadian Ficus...

C'mon guys....you know this one!

Sorce

 

[JoeR]

well, with all the secrecy about the species in question, I guess you're the expert here, Joe. If you say you should collect it now, then go for it. I wouldn't let it freeze.

I thought I had mentioned it. Sorry.There are actually two:

American hornbeam
Native hawthorn, dont know exact name


And I also was going to try collecting the uncollectable sparkleberry in winter a shot too



All I needed to know was if they could freeze.

 

[JoeR]

so.... You want people to give you advice on winter protection for a species but you don't want to tell us the species?

That makes absolutely NO SENSE. Sorry... You might as well ask "what temperature do I set the oven for?" Without mentioning what it is you are cooking.
"What do I take to cure... That problem I have"
"Can anyone give me directions to that place"

Seriously man... What happened here?

I thought I had said in the origional post is was horbeam but it appears not.

 

[Eric Group]

I thought I had said in the origional post is was horbeam but it appears not.

It's all good man... I was just giving you some crap... The way it was worded seemed like you were being all elusive and mysterious! LOL

I do not know Hornbeams to be much different about how and when to repot than any other deciduous trees... I guess the question here is what do you mean by winter? Do you mean February which in many climates is right on the verge of Spring? Or are you implying it should be repotted in the DEAD of winter, like December? I do not know of any tree that responds better to that treatment... The thing here is that a dormant tree is NEVER going to start healing as quick as one that is starting to grow again... This is a big deal especially when it comes to roots. Cut a bunch of roots on a dormant tree, and you are much more likely to wind up with a pot full of dead brown mush come Spring. Just my experience...

 

[JoeR]

It's all good man... I was just giving you some crap... The way it was worded seemed like you were being all elusive and mysterious! LOL

I do not know Hornbeams to be much different about how and when to repot than any other deciduous trees... I guess the question here is what do you mean by winter? Do you mean February which in many climates is right on the verge of Spring? Or are you implying it should be repotted in the DEAD of winter, like December? I do not know of any tree that responds better to that treatment... The thing here is that a dormant tree is NEVER going to start healing as quick as one that is starting to grow again... This is a big deal especially when it comes to roots. Cut a bunch of roots on a dormant tree, and you are much more likely to wind up with a pot full of dead brown mush come Spring. Just my experience...

I agree that it does sound like that but again I did not mean to be elusive lol anf now I cant edit my posts!


All I know is that American Hornbeams must be collected while dormant, before they begin to wake up. Or else they sucker heavily and may not even come back at all.


Trees in my area wake up around early March, but it always varies. So that means I would probably collect them in late February BUT I wanted to know if I could get a head start by collecting some in January.

 

[JoeR]

Bonsai-south.com

Search Anerican Hornbeam.

 

[thumblessprimate1]

For many species, winter is a great time for collecting trees and for some it is even a necessity.

Could you expand on this?

 

[Zach Smith]

Most deciduous species can be collected in winter. I have never had any issue with newly collected material being damaged by freezing, though everything does go on the ground below 20F. This provides enough protection.

Zach

 

[Eric Group]

I agree that it does sound like that but again I did not mean to be elusive lol anf now I cant edit my posts!


All I know is that American Hornbeams must be collected while dormant, before they begin to wake up. Or else they sucker heavily and may not even come back at all.


Trees in my area wake up around early March, but it always varies. So that means I would probably collect them in late February BUT I wanted to know if I could get a head start by collecting some in January.

Well that clarifies it- very late winter/ early Spring is generally the best time to collect most deciduous species including Hornbeam. And, yes, with most doing it prior to bud break is ideal. I wouldn't say they MUST be collected then, but that is definitely the sweet spot. The Fall can be a good time as well in MY area at least where we generally do not have brutal winters and the worst of the cold tends to hit late like January/ early Feb... I do not know your climate very well to be able to advise on the difference between January and Feb where you live, but everything I hear about the long term forecasts for our region says Jan- March may see record breaking cold and precipitation! If that is the case... And it is the nasty freezing mess people are projecting, I would not recommend pulling a tree out of the ground in January... I'd wait until late Feb. on the other hand, if we stay at 79 degrees... Maybe you could dig them now and they'd be fine. The "norm" has kind of gone out the window so far this "Winter". I have bulbs that bloom in March/ April popping in my garden right NOW! A Korean Hornbeam I bought in October has tried to grow new buds ever since I got it home... Junipers are still growing like it is Spring time and I am not sure if any of my Maples- except the Tridents- are even fully dormant yet. So, who knows what is coming!?!.

In a normal year though, normal conditions.... February is probably what I would recommend.

Notable exceptions- Water Elm and Bald Cypress seem to do best when collected in mid-summer around here according my my experience and what I have been told by others who have done a lot more collecting than me. Beyond that, go for Early Spri/ late Winter...

The best advice I can give you is: AFTER CARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TIMING! You can miss by a couple weeks one way or another, or even collect something in a pinch at what most people tell you is the absolute WRONG TIME and still have success if you do a good job caring for the tree. You can also have total failure even if you collect at the perfect time if your after care sucks.

 

[Bunjeh]

That is the general rule, yes-

-But this species is an exception. They must be collected during winter before it begins to break dormancy and buds swell. Or else risk of major dieback or even complete loss of the tree.

What species are we talking about here?